Making the Whole Force Approach work for UK Defence
Three Points to Remember
- The Whole Force Approach is widely recognised, but still not fully realised, and remains critical given the UK’s increasingly complex security environment.
- Success depends on continued collaboration across military, civil service and industry.
- Leidos is demonstrating this in practice by embedding a Whole Force Approach through its support of veteran talent and focus on improving communication and mission delivery.
The Whole Force Approach is a phrase often used across UK Defence, but it is seldom fully explained. What is it, and why is it so important for the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the industry base, both now and in the future?
What is the Whole Force Approach in UK Defence?
The Centre for Army Leadership describes the Whole Force Approach as the bringing together of service personnel, both full time and reservist, MOD civil servants and industry contractors to deliver Defence’s operational capability with resilience and cost-effectiveness. The concept has a persistent pedigree, with initial descriptions of the concept having emerged over a decade ago. It is featured in the 2021 Defence Command Plan and the 2023 Integrated Review Refresh, shaping UK defence policy and civil-military integration as the UK Defence industry responded to evolving structural challenges.
However, the world in which we now find ourselves cannot be characterised by the contingent thinking and planning that the Whole Force Approach was initially borne out of.
Why the Whole Force Approach matters more than ever
The 2025 Strategic Defence Review succinctly describes the imperative:
“A generational challenge demands a generational response. For the first time since the end of the Cold War, the UK faces multiple, direct threats to its security, prosperity, and democratic values. The world itself is beset by volatility and deep uncertainty…This transformation of UK Defence must ultimately be delivered by its people …The focus must be on maximising the effectiveness of the ‘whole force’.”
The Haythornthwaite Review Agency and Agility: Incentivising people in a new era describes initiatives that enhance the Whole Force concept – a ‘Spectrum of Service’, simplification of policies and the removal of barriers. At Leidos, we believe that more must be done to achieve operational enablement and ensure mission success.
Building a Whole Force culture beyond policy
Realising the Whole Force Approach requires looking beyond the structures and enabling policy to reinforce successful behaviours and mindsets. Furthermore, in harnessing the diversity that Whole Force teams offer the MOD, there must be recognition that individuals and groups within teams have differing motivations and drivers and, when recognising and proactively managing the collective knowledge, skills and expertise in a team, those motivations must be harnessed equitably to achieve Defence’s outcomes.
Collaboration between MOD, Armed Forces and industry
Effective collaboration is central to this effort. In our experience, that means establishing a clear understanding of mission, roles and responsibilities at the outset of a project, including clear communication across channels that not all partners can access by default. This means being open to ideas that partners may have to ensure that collaboration happens together and early.
Strengthening defence capability through the Sourcing Playbook
The Sourcing Playbook written after the collapse of Carillion in 2018 is a practical tool that UK Defence can adopt to deliver the Whole Force Approach. To help determine the level of adoption, those charged with managing the Whole Force Approach should seek to establish how all Defence staff in Industry-managing roles are formally educated on the content of the Playbook, as well as provide support to industry staff on its application. Deploying such staff forward under military protection to assist delivery of the reverse supply chain, which helps educate ‘far bank’ military staff of the role and capability of industry in the Strategic Base, is another area worth developing further.
Preparing industry for large-scale combat operations
The Defence Industry must also contemplate how it would respond to the very worst-case scenario of large-scale combat operations. For instance, what contingency plans can it build now to maintain, or even step up support for when asked, as well as understand the impact of the mobilisation of employees who are Reservists?
Supporting veterans as part of the Whole Force Approach
Our approach to working with the MOD already reflects Whole Force Approach. From initial skills through to retirement, it represents a long-term demonstration of commitment to the MOD and mission delivery, enabled by, but not tied to, MOD contracts. Crucial to that is our dedicated Veteran talent strategy that supports the successful transition of veterans into civilian roles, while maintaining openness, consistency and security across all recruitment activity. With approximately 13% of Leidos UK’s workforce being veterans, we benefit from those who understand what mission delivery requires - something that has contributed to the company recently being recognized in the UK as one of the top 50 Great British Employers of Veterans for 2026.
The future of the Whole Force Approach
Ultimately, realising the Whole Force Approach requires a shift from traditional contractual models toward collaborative co-creation. All parties should work effectively together in a partnership of trust that supports mission delivery. That collaboration between government and industry is essential to helping ensure that the UK can mitigate threats and enjoy the benefits of being a digitally advanced and global nation.
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